National Graduate Development Programme 2016/17 Council information pack Next generation leadership

The best leaders work hard to ensure their organisations attract and develop the highest calibre colleagues to meet today’s challenges and those we can’t even imagine in the future. The next generation of middle and senior level leaders will be essential to the effective functioning of local government. If councils are to thrive and continue innovating for the future then we need to work extra hard to attract and develop the right people to lead our teams and organisations. Our graduate programme provides the perfect opportunity for you to bring into our councils bright, talented and ambitious people.

Over the last twenty years, the Local Government Association (LGA) has been bringing graduate talent into the sector through our national graduate development programme for local government (ngdp). The programme has been set up to provide local government with the high-calibre managers and leaders that communities need and attracts top graduates who are driven, passionate and committed to improving public services.

The ngdp is highly regarded by councils, graduates and the wider sector, ranked in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers and Guardian UK 300. It increases the credibility of a career in local government and has provided a flow of consistently high quality trainees to over 160 authorities through 18 previous cohorts. Evidence shows that councils who hire our national management trainees can expect:

• individuals with leadership potential, who are able to rise to a challenge and make a valid contribution from the very start • increased capacity to deliver change and transformation • good value for money.

I know from my experience working in councils the value of employing an ngdp graduate. This pack provides an overview of the ngdp and shares the experiences of some of the councils and individuals who have been involved. It provides a compelling case for your council to be part of the scheme this year. If you are interested in getting on board please get in touch so that we can help you attract and retain the brightest and best in the public sector.

Mark Lloyd Chief Executive Local Government Association What is the National Graduate Development Programme?

The ngdp is a two year high profile national management trainee programme for high calibre graduates (minimum 2:2 entry level and a rigorous assessment process) with the potential to become senior managerial leaders in local government within the next ten years. Graduates are employed by councils and receive a minimum of three placements in front-line, operational and strategic roles, where they are encouraged to challenge, innovate and improve services.

The LGA coordinates the ngdp nationally and provides the infrastructure for its delivery. Our marketing and recruitment methods attract, select and place high quality applicants in local authorities. We also manage and commission the learning and development element of the programme to ensure the highest quality learning.

Both the placements and learning and development programme are carried out in parallel so that the graduates, called national management trainees (NMTs), can implement their learning whilst working on real projects within councils.

The ngdp also provides national management trainees with networking opportunities across sectors and with central government, supporting and developing relationships at an early stage in individuals’ careers.

A vibrant alumni network and a range of online tools support NMTs’ career progression in local government, providing knowledge and experience which they can use to benefit the sector.

Learning and development

The learning and development programme has been designed to develop future leaders and senior managers for local government. We expect trainees to fully engage with the programme through a mixture of residential modules, regional events, online learning and action learning modules. They will complete assignments that benefit your authority while working towards a qualification in leadership and management.

The objectives of the programme are:

- to enable participants to critically evaluate the challenges facing local government
- to provide participants with high level capabilities in strategic management and leadership, grounded in a public sector context
- to provide participants with a strong understanding of key local government areas of work and management
- to enhance personal effectiveness as a leader and manager
- to increase self-awareness and awareness of others.

Content will include:

- leadership models
- new operating models
- financial management
- procurement and commissioning
- project and people management
- engagement
- working in a political context
- delivering results
- developing self. What does the ngdp offer to councils?

As a national scheme, the ngdp promotes local government to the graduate market on behalf of all councils in England and Wales. Every year it provides the sector with high quality graduates ready to work on strategic projects across councils with enthusiasm and high motivation, enabling councils to increase innovation and enhance their programmes of change and transformation.

“The London Borough of Bexley has been involved in the ngdp for the last eight years and we have been very successful in moving our trainees into permanent roles. The scheme provides a fantastic pipeline with participants taking up a diverse range of roles, often in areas that they would not have anticipated themselves moving into which is great. Each year our intake of NMTs bring energy, new insights and an enthusiasm that is infectious. As local government evolves this type of scheme becomes even more critical and give us the opportunity to develop a new brand of leader.”

Anne-Louise Clark, Head of Transformation and Change, London Borough of Bexley

“Recruiting National Management Trainees (NMTs) to the City of Wolverhampton is a key part of our organisational development strategy, bringing fresh ideas and talent into the council and investing in management development for local government. Our NMTs have made a significant impact across a range of service areas and provide excellent value for money given their contribution and abilities.”

Keith Ireland, Managing Director, City of Wolverhampton Council

“At Barnet Council we have promoted the National Graduate Development Programme for a number of years and will continue to do so in the future. This has been hugely valuable for the organisation, not only in terms of the important work our trainees do, but also by enabling us to grow and develop leaders of the future.”

John Hooton, Interim Chief Executive, London Borough of Barnet

The ngdp provides councils with outstanding individuals who can significantly influence that council’s services and outcomes over the duration of the programme. Why should my council take on ngdp national management trainees?

Graduates bring energy, enthusiasm and intellect, demonstrating an ability to rise to a challenge and hit the ground running. The ngdp provides councils with national management trainees who have leadership potential and the capacity to modernise, challenge and improve services and service delivery. They are highly capable members of staff, working at a high level and delivering significant outputs on a variety of projects and initiatives.

In the medium to long term there is a strong financial case for graduate recruitment; graduates are reported to generate three times their salary per annum. Being part of the ngdp allows councils to start thinking earlier about longer-term succession planning and future leadership potential. Growing your own talent is cheaper than recruiting higher up in the management structure, and taking on a graduate through the ngdp ensures you will have additional corporate capacity and capability at a senior level. National management trainees enhance strategic projects by acting as internal change agents, providing challenge and fresh thinking. They have the focus to turn strategy into action and are practical problem solvers. Upon completion of the programme, 88 per cent of trainees were employed by a local council.¹

¹ Last survey conducted in 2016 The national management trainee perspective

Guy Hindson Cohort 17, London Borough of Hackney

Working in local government on the ngdp isn’t just a job – it’s an attitude, a demonstration of your values and a way of life with incredible potential for personal and professional development through a diverse range of experiences.

I’ve been with Hackney Council as an ngdp graduate trainee for approaching a year now and I feel like I’ve found a place I can truly call home. It’s always been important for me to work for an organisation which shares my values and passion for the betterment of communities. When I first arrived in this dynamic and bustling corner of east London, I knew straight off it was for me.

My first placement was in the Corporate Programmes and Projects team working on a high-profile change programme to bring housing management functions back in-house from an arm’s length management organisation. The council also offered me the opportunity to take an external programme management course, equipping me with a transferable theoretical framework for programme management to take forward in future tasks. This qualification, coupled with the work during the placement, was invaluable project management experience. In addition, the scale of the programme meant I could raise my internal profile in the council, build relationships and network with colleagues.

My second and current placement is in the Organisational Development team of the council, which is about developing staff and maximising performance to improve services and deliver greater effectiveness for residents. As part of this placement, I’ll soon be completing a full review of the induction process to ensure it is fit-for-purpose, meets the needs of the organisation and equips new staff with the tools and knowledge to do their job effectively.

In addition to six month fixed placements, I’ve worked on side projects which help raise my profile internally and build on the ngdp capability framework. For example, one task I really enjoyed was working on a paper for our chief executive on licensing policy. This involved analysing our systems, processes and approach then benchmarking it against other councils through phone calls and meetings. In addition, Ruth, my fellow trainee, and I worked collaboratively on a paper for the council’s senior management team on new approaches to service delivery. This demonstrates the level of buy-in and regard for trainees at senior levels, as well as the range and breadth of work for trainees in the council.

Being on the ngdp means you work with people from across the council – from housing management functions through to adult social care and with people of different skills, passions and interests. What unites us is an underlying commitment to delivering services and improving communities and the lives of those within them. This for me is what makes the ngdp so unique and special. No other opportunity can match the passion, the diversity of the services provided and consequently the experiences placements can offer, the level of buy-in to the scheme from the top, or the high level of quality support available. Edith Galliers\
Policy Manager, London Borough of Redbridge

I joined the ngdp at Wellingborough District Council in January 2005. The relatively small size of the council meant that I was not restricted to one specialist aspect of work as my skills and ngdp training could add value across a wide range of projects and most services at some stage. I was involved in everything from front-line youth events, countywide local strategic partnership work and supporting the chief executive with internal change management. Every day was different and it exposed me to many different aspects of working in local government.

The scheme provided me with the opportunity to build my theoretical base as I studied part time with 50 peers throughout the two years. This enabled me to bring new thinking to the council and link in with best practice around the country through ngdp networks. I believe that the scheme has underpinned my subsequent career development. My experience working at different levels of a council during the ngdp has enabled me to switch between working strategically and operationally easily, making me a stronger middle manager, able to translate and represent resident and corporate views to a variety of audiences.

My links to the ngdp also opened opportunities to volunteer. Some examples include being a director of the Wellingborough Volunteer Bureau, working in Tower Hamlets with the local area partnership linking residents and service delivery together and running volunteer groups for Friends of Ibba Girls School who are building a boarding school in South Sudan. Each volunteering opportunity has directly arisen from my involvement with the ngdp and the networks it has generated.

Having worked in a variety of positions in London Borough of Barking and Dagenham since completion of the scheme, I moved earlier this year to the post of Policy Manager at London Borough of Redbridge. I work closely with senior managers and elected members to develop the strategic direction of the organisation, leading on policy, strategy, engagement and corporate projects. My days are varied and I enjoy being able to draw on my early experience of community development to ensure the corporate work we deliver has maximum impact.

Sophie Lloyd\
Policy Project Manager, Milton Keynes Council

After graduating in 2013 from Bangor University, I spent a year working in various roles, reflecting on what I really wanted out of my career. When I saw the tag line of the ngdp, ‘your opportunity to make a difference’, I realised that local government was a natural fit with my personal values.

I was delighted to accept an offer from Milton Keynes Council, an innovative and forward thinking council. The opportunity to make a real difference to the community I live and work in was also a huge motivation in my choice. In every placement, I’ve been given excellent opportunities to make that difference.

Although not my main project, a personal highlight for me came in my first placement, where I worked alongside the Regeneration team and council contractors to restore the gardens at a day centre for adults with dementia. The contractors were looking for projects to fulfil their corporate social responsibility requirements and the council had very limited resources to be able to undertake the work itself. The tidied gardens means the service users can now get outside, enjoy summer and take back up hobbies like gardening in a safe environment. This was all delivered at no cost to the council but has had a profound impact on our citizen’s lives – an example of how local government will need to work smarter going forwards.

In my final placement in the council’s Strategy directorate I was involved in a number of corporate initiatives including assisting on the MK Futures 2050 report, a vision of where the city will be in 2050. The report was a real example of local government leading the way, encouraging the city to reflect on its aspirations for the future and making a difference to the lives of its citizens.

I was delighted to secure a role before the end of the scheme as Policy Project Manager at Milton Keynes Council, I’ll also soon be starting a secondment to the National Infrastructure Commission to work on the Oxford – Milton Keynes – Cambridge corridor project. This reflects just how valuable the ngdp has been for both myself as a development opportunity and my employer.

Local government is a challenging but immensely rewarding environment to start your career in. Having a career where I can make a difference to my community is a real privilege. The council perspective

“The City of Wolverhampton Council has been on a journey of significant transformation over the past three years. And the national management trainees (NMTs) have played a full part in the change programme. From leading a campaign to reduce obesity in the city, to coordinating a scrutiny review, to managing regeneration consultation and conducting a statutory polling station review, the NMTs have been involved across the breadth of the council’s responsibilities.

Recruiting quality graduates is a key element of Wolverhampton’s organisational development strategy and the impact of the NMTs speaks for itself. In 2013, we recruited two graduates, paid for by individual managers. By 2015, that had increased to four graduates, paid for corporately, and in September 2016, Wolverhampton had ten current graduates working in a range of service areas. Each placement round is a competitive process, with senior managers seeking to attract graduates to their service area.

Without exception, the NMTs have been positive, enthusiastic, productive, flexible and willing to learn. They have played an important part in the council’s journey of transformation, which led to Wolverhampton being runner-up in the MJ’s 2016 Local Authority of the Year award.”

Martyn Sargeant NMT Placement Manager City of Wolverhampton Council

Supporting graduate recruitment – the way that suits your council

We are aware that whilst the ngdp provides councils with access to a national pool of high calibre graduates some councils may wish to recruit from their own communities. We have broadened our offer to reflect this and are pleased to now provide a range of options for councils who wish to participate in this national programme at a local level.

What does it cost my council?

The salary of the graduate over the term of their two year contract is set at a minimum of £24,174 per annum (accurate as of October 2016 and excluding London weighting). Each option outlined below comes with a one-off fee paid to the LGA once the national management trainee has started. The options

1. National management trainee

**Full participation in the ngdp:**

**Promoting the sector** We market local government as a premier career choice for graduates across the UK and promote the ngdp roles available in your council.

**Meeting the standard** We recruit and select the highest calibre graduates for you to interview.

**Growing capacity** We support each NMT on the programme with a high quality learning and development programme and provide access to national networking and knowledge events.

You employ your chosen NMT(s) for two years ensuring a minimum of three different placements with your council.

**It costs you:** £24,174 per annum NMT salary + £2,350 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

2. Shared national management trainee

All the benefits of participating in the full programme but NMT(s) and their placements are shared between councils.

Partnerships and practical arrangements are the responsibility of councils involved.

Cost is divided proportionally between participating councils: £24,174 per annum NMT salary + £2,350 participation fee payable to the LGA

3. Local recruitment for management trainees

Supported recruitment and equal access to the ngdp’s learning and development programme.

Your council markets its NMT position(s) to candidates from your local area in the same timeframe as the ngdp’s national campaign. You can shortlist applications if you wish. The ngdp then facilitates the assessment of your nominated local candidates in line with national candidates to ensure they meet the same standard. Successful candidates will become part of the national cohort with access to ngdp learning and development, networks and knowledge events.\*

It costs you: £24,174 per annum NMT salary + £2,350 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

4. Grow your own management trainee

Giving qualified graduates you employ access to the ngdp’s learning and development programme.

Your council markets its NMT position(s) to new or existing graduate employee(s) in the same timeframe as the ngdp’s national campaign. You can shortlist applications if you wish. The ngdp then facilitates the assessment of your nominated internal candidates in line with national candidates to ensure they meet the same standard. Successful candidates will become part of the national cohort with access to ngdp learning and development, networks and knowledge events.

It costs you: £2,350 per graduate participation fee payable to the LGA

As each NMT is already your employee, salary remains at your discretion.

\*All candidates must pass the ngdp’s assessment benchmarks to take part in this initiative. Recruitment and assessment will be supported in line with the national timetable. For more information please contact our team: ngdp@local.gov.uk. Promoting the sector: marketing graduate opportunities

You can also advertise your council’s graduate placement, scheme or other graduate opportunities and vacancies as part of the ngdp marketing campaign, reaching the national graduate market.

Grow your own Aylesbury Vale case study

While most councils take part in the ngdp through the programme’s national recruitment arm, there are other ways to take advantage of the scheme’s benefits depending on your organisational needs.

At Aylesbury Vale District Council, the ngdp’s ‘grow your own’ option presented an interesting solution to some of our organisational needs. We’ve have had our challenges structuring the programme to get maximum benefit from it, but we would recommend the ngdp as a great opportunity for your existing graduate employees.

The ngdp appealed to our council for a wide range of reasons. We saw the programme as a significant development opportunity which we could offer to existing staff. This, we hoped, would encourage the retention of our growing talent, give staff the advantages of a wider network, increase the pool of talent for future leadership roles in the council and bring the benefits of the ngdp’s ILM qualification to our employees and council more widely.

Two members of staff at Aylesbury Vale were chosen from several applicants to take part in the ngdp: one currently working in housing and one based in communications and marketing. It has certainly been a challenging experience for them both, balancing their daily responsibilities with extra opportunities and the ngdp’s learning and development programme. One of our ngdp participants is also part-time, so that’s been an important aspect to work around. Ultimately, time has been tight for our trainees but the ngdp has been a useful and rewarding aspect of their working lives.

As our trainees are already in jobs with full sets of responsibilities, we have worked creatively to mimic the kind of exposure and opportunity which a rotation of placements undertaken by national trainees would provide. We have given our trainees opportunities to take days off for their ngdp action learning sets and provided expenses for their travel to meet with other ngdp trainees. The council’s senior staff, including the chief executive, have been made available to mentor and guide our trainees’ careers (rather just giving them work).

The council has tried to use our trainees’ ILM qualification as a way of expanding their experience and bringing benefit to the authority. Our trainees worked on a project in business transformation, partnering with private enterprise on an initiative which made savings and generated income. This project gave them the opportunity to take an initiative outside of their usual areas and scope of work, carrying a piece of work from concept to design and then on to implementation. The project outcome received regional and local news coverage, raising the profile of the council, and has got the potential to save us money and generate an income stream in future. The trainees’ next projects are expected to follow the trend of bringing additional benefits to Aylesbury Vale.

If you are looking for a way to identify existing talent in your council, we would recommend the ngdp as an effective solution. It has helped to raise the profile of our trainees in the council and given them the opportunity to prove themselves in challenging situations.

Even the ngdp’s assessment process has been helpful: staff who applied and were not chosen for the ngdp have now been identified as those seeking further career development and been successful in achieving promotion.

For other councils considering internal recruitment, our biggest piece of advice is to consider how each trainee would manage the additional time commitments that come with the ngdp alongside their existing job role. If this is planned in advance, the council and the trainee will get the most out of the ngdp’s opportunities without sacrificing their day-to-day effectiveness. How does my council get involved?

To sign up for the 2017 ngdp intake, please complete the participation form online or at the end of this guide by 31 March 2017.

- **Talk to the LGA about signing up to the scheme** Discuss participation in the programme, and how you can benefit from the next cohort of high-calibre national management trainees.

- **We can come to you** We can come and meet your team to talk in more detail about the ngdp and how it can work for you.

- **Speak to a council that is already engaged** If you’d like to hear some first-hand experience of the ngdp and how it has worked in another council, please let us know. The LGA can put you in touch with another authority that can tell you all you need to know about participating, and can give you their honest opinion.

For any of the above please contact the ngdp team: ngdp@local.gov.uk

Commitments

**What commitments does my council have to make?**

The full list of council commitments is available in the ngdp partnership agreement, however at a glance we ask councils to:

- Conduct the local ‘best fit’ interview at the end of the recruitment process. Information will be provided by the LGA at the appropriate time and councils are required to adhere to the LGA’s interview guidance and timeframes.
- Employ national management trainees on a (minimum) two-year fixed term contract.
- Pay national management trainee salaries at Spinal Column Point (SCP) 27 of the national pay scale: £24,174 per annum (accurate as of October 2016 and excluding London weighting). This is expected to rise to SCP 29 (or equivalent) over the course of the programme.
- Organise a minimum of three placements for each national management trainee over the two years in roles with a front line, operational and strategic focus.
- Volunteer staff to assess at national assessment centres (full training is provided).
- Nominate a member of staff to be the placement coordinator for the programme, once the council’s national management trainee(s) is in place.

**The LGA will:**

- Annually subsidise the programme on behalf of councils in England and Wales, using the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) grant.

- Market the programme to high calibre graduates across the UK.

- Assess candidates’ suitability through a rigorous and established multi-stage recruitment process, with the final selection process, the local best fit interviews, taking place locally at participating authorities.

- Provide candidate information event(s) where councils participating in the programme have the opportunity to market themselves and meet candidates who have successfully completed the assessment stages of the recruitment process.

- Fund and organise a national programme of learning, development and networking.

- Produce a partnership agreement outlining the expectations of LGA, councils and national management trainees. Key dates for 2017

- **October 2016** – Window opens for councils to sign up to participate in the ngdp.

- **11 January 2017** – Deadlines for candidate assessment at for national, local and internal routes.

- **March 2017** – Candidate assessment centres held. Participating councils are asked to volunteer assessors.

- **31 March** – Deadline for councils to sign up to the programme.

- **April** – Information event(s) held where councils can meet shortlisted graduates.

- **May/June** – Council interviews held.

- **September and October** – National management trainees start placements. All trainees must have started work before the first day of the ngdp National Induction.

- **mid-October** – ngdp National Induction.

All graduates must be employed no later than the first day of the national induction event for employer liability and other insurance purposes. Council participation form 2017

Please complete all sections of this form and return to the ngdp team at the LGA. Your form must be received by Friday 31 March 2017 at the latest.

Name of council/s:

How many graduates are you applying to take from the 2017 intake?

Options and LGA fees

1. National management trainee Full participation in the ngdp £2,350

2. Shared national management trainee Full participation in the ngdp £2,350 (shared proportionally)

3. Local recruitment for a management trainee ngdp learning and development programme £2,350

4. Growing your own management trainee access to ngdp learning and development £2,350

Contact Please provide details of a member of staff who will be the single point of contact that the ngdp team can deal with on programme matters at this stage. This doesn't necessarily have to be the person who will be the placement coordinator once the programme starts.

Name: Position: Department: Telephone: Email:

Chief Executive commitment Name/s\*: Date\*:

Thank you for completing the form Please email the completed form to: ngdp@local.gov.uk or send to: The ngdp team, Leadership and Localism, LGA, Layden House, 76-86 Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5LG

An online version of this form can be accessed directly from the LGA website: www.local.gov.uk/ngdp. Once you have appointed your national management trainee/s we will ask for contact details of your placement coordinator and senior champion of the ngdp within your council.

- We can provide up to 120 places on each cohort of the ngdp. If demand for these places exceeds supply, the LGA may distribute places at their discretion between participating authorities to ensure that a maximum number of councils benefit and that the distribution of places remains geographically diverse.